This is an annotated list of important business writers.The Harvard Business Review asked 200 management gurus—the business thinkers most often mentioned in the media and management literature—who their gurus were. For their responses, see here. It is in alphabetical order based on last name.
A David Aaker (born 1938) - marketing, brand strategy Wil van der Aalst James Abegglen (1926–2007) - management and business in Japan Bodo Abel Russell L. Ackoff (1919–2009) - operations research, organizational theory John Adair (born 1934) - leadership Karol Adamiecki (1866–1933) - management Ichak Adizes Charles Constance César Joseph Matthieu d'Agoult Yoji Akao Ali Akdemir Howard E. Aldrich (born 1940s) - American sociologist and organizational theorist Leon P. Alford (1877–1942) - scientific management Tim Ambler (1938–2024) - marketing effectiveness Igor Ansoff (1918–2002) - strategic management Ingeman Arbnor Chris Argyris (1923–2013) - learning systems, learning organization Horace Lucian Arnold (1837–1915) Neal Ashkanasy
B Stephen R. Barley (born 1953) - technology, organizational change, organizational culture Chester Barnard (1886–1961) - management Gary S. Becker Charles Bedaux (1886–1944) - scientific management Warren Bennis (1925–2014) - leadership studies Per Olof Berg (born 1946) - Swedish organizational theorist Manfred Berliner Björn Bjerke Patrick Blackett, Baron Blackett (1897–1974) - operations research Ken Blanchard Charles Bosanquet Matthew Boulton (1728–1809) - labor productivity Marvin Bower Richard Boyatzis (born 1946) - emotional intelligence, behavior change, and competence Leland Lawrence Briggs (1893–1975) - American accounting scholar John Seely Brown Wilfred Brown, Baron Brown Nils Brunsson (born 1946) - institutionalized hypocrisy of organizations Lawton Burns (born c. 1950) - health care systems
C Noel Capon Charles U. Carpenter Jean-Luc Cerdin James A. Champy - business process reengineering (1990s) Alfred D. Chandler, Jr. - management, Pulitzer Prize for The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business (1977) Clayton M. Christensen Alexander Hamilton Church - industrial management (1900s–1910s) C. West Churchman Stewart Clegg Ronald Coase - transaction costs, Coase theorem, theory of the firm (1950s) (Nobel Prize in 1991) James C. Collins - vision statement, strategic planning and BHAG (1990s) Morris Llewellyn Cooke Cary Cooper Stephen Covey Philip B. Crosby Richard Cyert Barbara Czarniawska
D Robert Dahlstrom (born 1958) - American organizational theorist, works on international marketing David Dale Thomas H. Davenport George S. Day - marketing (1970s) Jeff DeGraff Morris H. DeGroot W. Edwards Deming - statistical quality control (1950s, 1960s) Daniel R. Denison Eric Dent Hugo Diemer - industrial engineering (1910s) Jan Dietz Patrick Dixon Henk van Dongen Sytse Douma Wiebe Draijer Peter Drucker (1909–2005) - management (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s) Anna Dubois (born 1962) - Swedish organizational theorist Peter Dunn
E Andrew S.C. Ehrenberg Michael Eisner Chester Elton Tunç Erem Richard F. Ericson Hans-Erik Eriksson (born 1961) - Swedish computer scientist and organizational theorist Agner Krarup Erlang Hamid Etemad
F Henri Fayol - management (1910s) Armand V. Feigenbaum - quality control (1950s) Tim Ferriss Harry Anson Finney (1886–1966) - American accountancy author Ronald Fisher - statistics (1920s) Mary Follett - organizational studies (1930s) Nicolai J. Foss R. Edward Freeman Mike L. Fry Adrian Furnham
G John Kenneth Galbraith - The New Industrial State (1967) Henry Gantt - Gantt chart (20th century) Burleigh B. Gardner (1902–1985) - motivation research Michael Gerber - E-Myth Revisited Jamshid Gharajedaghi (born 1940) - American organizational theorist, management consultant, and Adjunct Professor of Systems Thinking Sumantra Ghoshal John P. van Gigch Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr. Frank Gilbreth - time and motion study (20th century) Seth Godin Eliyahu M. Goldratt - theory of constraints (1980s) Marshall Goldsmith Daniel Goleman Vytautas Andrius Graiciunas - management (1933) Lynda Gratton C. Jackson Grayson Danny Greefhorst (born 1972) - Dutch enterprise architect James Bray Griffith (1871–1937) - American business theorist William H. Gruber (born 1935) - American organizational theorist Erich Gutenberg - theory of the firm (1950s)
H Stephan H. Haeckel Stephen G. Haines Noel Frederick Hall Brian Halligan Gary Hamel (born 1954) - core competency, strategic management (1990s) Michael Hammer - business process reengineering (1990s) Charles Handy - organisational behaviour (1990s) Paul Harmon - management author G. Charter Harrison (1881–1959) - Anglo-American management consultant and cost account pioneer Sven A. Haugland (born 1948) - Norwegian organizational theorist David L. Hawk Igor Hawryszkiewycz (born 1948) - American computer scientist and organizational theorist Robert Heller Frederick Herzberg - two factor theory, motivation theory, job enrichment (1970s) Steen Hildebrandt Charles DeLano Hine Geert Hofstede Kenneth Hopper Yasheng Huang Albert S Humphrey - strategic planning, SWOT analysis (1970s, 1980s) Shelby D. Hunt Walter Hunziker
I Masaaki Imai (1930–2023) - Kaizen (continuous improvement) (1980s, 1990s, 2000s) Kaoru Ishikawa (1915–1989) - Ishikawa diagram in industrial process; quality circles (1960s)
J Mike Jackson - systems scientist Lars Jaeger John Jantsch Dave Jenks Anita Jose Joseph M. Juran (1904–2008) - quality control, especially quality circles (1960s, 1970s)
K Rosabeth Moss Kanter - business management and change management (1977) Robert S. Kaplan - management accounting and balanced scorecard (1990s) Dexter Keezer Kevin Lane Keller Roy B. Kester (1882–1965) - American accountancy scholar Tarun Khanna Walter Kickert (born 1950) - Dutch academic and professor of public management John Warren Kindt Charles Edward Knoeppel Richard Koch Lars Kolind Monika Kostera Philip Kotler - marketing management and social marketing (1970s, 1980s, 1990s) John Kotter - organizational behaviour and management (1980s, 1990s) Vladimir Kvint - strategy
L John Christian Langli Jean-Claude Larréché Kyoung Jun Lee William Henry Leffingwell - office management (1910s–1940s) Paul Leonardi Harry Levinson Theodore Levitt - marketing and globalization (1960s, 1970s) Michael Lewis Peter Lindgren (born 1961) - Danish organizational theorist John Lintner - capital asset pricing model (1970s) Ted London Juan Antonio Pérez López Jay Lorsch Michael Lounsbury Randi Lunnan (born 1963) - Norwegian organizational theorist, works on strategic alliances Reijo Luostarinen (1939–2017) - Finnish organisational theorist James Alexander Lyons (1861–1920) - American accountancy author
M
John Van Maanen James MacGregor Burns Kenneth D. Mackenzie Teemu Malmi (born 1965) - Finnish organizational theorist Vincent Mangematin James G. March - theory of the firm (1960s) Constantinos Markides - strategic management and strategy dynamics (1990s) Harry Markowitz - modern portfolio theory (1960s, 1970s), Nobel Prize in 1990 Perry Marshall John C. Maxwell - leadership (1990s, 2000s, 2010s) Elton Mayo - job satisfaction and Hawthorne effect (1920s, 1930s) John H. McArthur Daniel McCallum - organizational charts (1850s) Douglas McGregor Dalton McGuinty, Sr. Geoff Meeks (born 1949) - British accounting scholar Lucas Meijs Leo Melamed - currency futures and derivatives (1980s, 1990s) Gary Metcalf Henry C. Metcalf - the science of administration (1920s) Henry Metcalfe - the science of administration (1880s) Gerald Midgley Danny Miller - economist Merton Miller - Modigliani–Miller theorem and corporate finance (1970s) Henry Mintzberg (born 1939) - organizational architecture, strategic management (1970s–2000s) Franco Modigliani - Modigliani–Miller theorem and corporate finance (1970s) Geoffrey Moore Richard Moran Gareth Morgan Gerry Morgan Silvina Moschini Hugo Münsterberg - psychology of work (1910s) J. Keith Murnighan Christa Muth
N Peter Naudé - marketing and business networks Nicholas Negroponte - human-computer interaction (1970s–1990s) Nobuo Noda - Japanese business scholar Kjell A. Nordström Arne Nygaard (born 1957) - Norwegian organizational theorist
O George S. Odiorne - management by objectives Kenichi Ohmae - 3C's model and strategic management (1970s, 1980s) Taiichi Ohno - Toyota Production System, lean manufacturing, just in time (1980s) David Ogilvy - advertising (1960s–1980s) Sharon Oster William Ouchi - Theory Z (1980s) Robert Owen - cooperatives (1810s)
P
Luca Pacioli - double-entry bookkeeping system and financial statements (1494) Javier Perez-Capdevila - strategic management and business analysis and valuation Krishna Palepu - business analysis and valuation, financial statements Scott Patterson Keith Pavitt - innovation clusters and innovation taxonomy (1970s through 2000) Edith Penrose - The Theory of the Growth of the Firm (1959) Juan Antonio Pérez López - negative learning (1990s) Oscar E. Perrigo - shop management (1900s) Laurence J. Peter - Peter Principle (1970s) Thomas J. Peters - management (1970s, 1980s) Jeffrey Pfeffer - organizational development (1970s–?) Robert Allen Phillips Rebecca Piekkari (born 1967) - Finnish organizational theorist Henry Varnum Poor - principles of organization (1850s–?) Michael Porter - strategic management and Porter's 5 forces (1970s–1990s) C. K. Prahalad (1941–2010) - core competency (1980s) Derek S. Pugh
R J. Donald R. de Raadt Navi Radjou N. Ravichandaran Jeffrey Rayport W. Charles Redding Robert Reich Fred Reichheld Reg Revans Jeremy Rifkin Fritz Roethlisberger Georges Romme Mike Rother
S
Martti Saario (1906–1988) - Finnish organizational theorist and Professor of Accounting Kenan Sahin Jason Saul August-Wilhelm Scheer Edgar Schein Eugen Schmalenbach - economic value added (1920s–?) Hein Schreuder David Meerman Scott (born 1961) - inbound marketing and PR in the Internet era (2008-) Walter Dill Scott - psychology of personnel management (1920s) Esbjörn Segelod (born 1951) - Swedish organizational theorist Peter Senge Dorian Shainin Stanley J. Shapiro Seena Sharp Oliver Sheldon - business philosophy (1920s) Walter A. Shewhart - control charts (1920s–1930s) Shigeo Shingo (1909–1990) - Zero Quality Control (Poka-Yoke) and Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) Herbert A. Simon (1916–2001) - satisficing Nobel Prize, 1978 Ibrahim Sirkeci Adrian Slywotzky - marketing strategy (1990s) Linda Smircich Adam Smith - economics, capitalism, free trade (1770s) Ivan Snehota (1946–2022), Italian organizational theorist Henk G. Sol Rolf Solli Thomas J. Stanley Andy Stefanovich Victor Hermann Stempf (1893–1946) - American accountant Joel Stern - economic value added (1980s) Rosemary Stewart - business theorist Antonio Strati Robert I. Sutton G. A. Swanson Richard A. Swanson William R. Synnott
T Genichi Taguchi (1924–2012) - Taguchi methods, quality control Don Tapscott Frederick Winslow Taylor - scientific management, time and motion study (20th century) Sridhar Tayur David Teece Vern Terpstra Jacques Thomassen (born 1945) - Dutch organizational theorist C. Bertrand Thompson Alvin Toffler Thomas Thorburn (1913–2003) - Swedish Professor of Business Administration Jean-Marie Toulouse Phil Town Henry R. Towne - scientific management (1890s) John Tregoning - factory management (1890s) Jack Trout Josiah Tucker Bruce Tuckman - stages of team development Dominique Turpin
U Yoichi Ueno Werner Ulrich Lyndall Urwick
V Peter Vaill Andrew H. Van de Ven Jan Vanthienen Hal Varian Antoaneta Vassileva Henrik Virkkunen (1917–1963) - Finnish organizational theorist and professor of accounting